Jacksonville history and landmarks

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Updated each year. History comes from Visit Jacksonville, the Jacksonville History Center (the Jacksonville Historical Society), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office history and the National Park Service. National Register listings are from the Park Service’s listed-properties file.

Jacksonville grew from a cattle crossing on the St. Johns River into the largest city by land area in the continental United States. Its downtown was rebuilt almost from scratch after the Great Fire of 1901, and the National Park Service now lists 109 properties and districts across the consolidated city.

Visit and ask

• Fort Caroline National Memorial and Kingsley Plantation: grounds open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; 904-641-7155 (hours)
• Jacksonville History Center: 314 and 318 Palmetto St.; Merrill House tours by appointment, 904-665-0064
• City Historic Preservation Section: 214 N. Hogan St., Suite 300; 904-255-7800 (city page)

How Jacksonville began

• About 500 B.C.: archaeologists date the start of the distinctive Timucuan culture here, according to Visit Jacksonville.
• May 1, 1562: French explorer Jean Ribault found the mouth of the River of May, today’s St. Johns.
• June 30, 1564: René de Laudonnière’s French colonists founded la Caroline. Spanish forces captured the fort on Sept. 20, 1565, according to the Park Service’s Fort Caroline chronology.
• 1763 to 1783: under British rule, plantations lined the river, the King’s Road linked Savannah to St. Augustine, and a narrow river crossing was named Cowford.
• 1821: Florida became a U.S. territory.
• 1822: two settlers donated land on the north bank at Cowford for a town, renamed Jacksonville for Andrew Jackson, the territory’s first provisional governor, who never visited.
• 1861 to 1865: Union troops occupied the port city four times during the Civil War.
• May 3, 1901: the Great Fire began in LaVilla and destroyed 2,368 homes and buildings in eight hours, most of downtown, according to the Jacksonville Historical Society. Within two years the city had more buildings than before the fire.
• Early 1900s: architect Henry Klutho brought the Prairie style downtown, a Carnegie library opened in 1905, and silent-film studios worked here until World War I.
• World War II: three military installations made Jacksonville the Navy’s third-largest complex in the country.
• Oct. 1, 1968: the City of Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated, after voters approved the merger in August 1967 with 65% of the vote, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The new city covers nearly 900 square miles.
• 1993: the NFL awarded the city the Jaguars.

Downtown and the historic districts

The Park Service lists the Downtown Jacksonville Historic District, bounded roughly by North Pearl, Beaver and North Catherine streets and Independent and Courthouse drives. The St. James Building at 117 W. Duval St., one of the post-fire buildings the historical society counts among the city’s “great saves,” is now City Hall. Residential districts on the register are Riverside (1985), Springfield (1987), Avondale (1989), Old Ortega (2004), Durkee Gardens (2020) and Eastside (2023).

The city also designates local landmarks and districts through the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission; work on them needs a certificate of appropriateness. See building permits and zoning.

National Register of Historic Places

The Park Service lists 109 properties in Jacksonville, including Mandarin and Mayport, oldest listing first. Jacksonville Beach, a separate city, has two more.

San Jose Estates, all listed April 10, 1985: the San Jose Hotel, San Jose Country Club and San Jose Administration Building, and 21 houses: 3325, 3335, 3500, 3609, 3685 and 3703 Via de la Reina; 3764 Ponce de Leon Ave.; 7144 Madrid Ave.; 7207, 7217 and 7330 Ventura Ave.; 7227 and 7249 San Pedro Road; 7245, 7288, 7317, 7356 and 7400 San Jose Blvd.; 7246 San Carlos; and 7246 and 7306 St. Augustine Road.

Places to visit

• Fort Caroline National Memorial, 12713 Fort Caroline Road: the visitor center for the Timucuan Preserve. Grounds 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; the Ribault Monument closes at 4:45 p.m.
• Kingsley Plantation, 11676 Palmetto Ave. on Fort George Island: grounds 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; weekend open houses of the planter’s home 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., according to the Park Service.
• Jacksonville History Center, 314 and 318 Palmetto St.: the restored 1920 Florida Casket Company building opened in spring 2025 beside Old St. Luke’s Hospital (1878), which the center calls Florida’s first purpose-built hospital. It also cares for Old St. Andrew’s Church (1888), the only major church to survive the 1901 fire, and the James E. Merrill House (1879), open for tours by appointment at 904-665-0064.
• Mandarin Museum, Walter Jones Historical Park, 11964 Mandarin Road: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; the park is open sunrise to sunset. The Mandarin Store and Post Office, 12471 Mandarin Road, opens 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month, according to the museum.
• Cemeteries on the register: Evergreen (4535 N. Main St.), Memorial, Clifton and Palm Spring.

All Park Service sites in the preserve close on Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Related: population and growth, parks and trails, things to do this month and Jacksonville, Duval County and the neighbors.

Frequently asked questions

When was Jacksonville founded?

Two settlers donated land on the north bank of the river crossing known as Cowford to lay out a town in 1822, and it was renamed Jacksonville for Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first territorial governor, according to Visit Jacksonville.

When did Jacksonville and Duval County consolidate?

On Oct. 1, 1968, after voters approved consolidation in August 1967 with 65% of the vote, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office history.

What was the Great Fire of 1901?

A fire on May 3, 1901, that began in LaVilla and destroyed 2,368 homes and buildings in eight hours, most of downtown, according to the Jacksonville Historical Society.

How many National Register sites are in Jacksonville?

The National Park Service lists 109 properties and districts in Jacksonville, including Mandarin and Mayport, from Fort Caroline (1966) to the Clara White Mission (2025).

When are Fort Caroline and Kingsley Plantation open?

The grounds are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, according to the National Park Service. The park’s phone is 904-641-7155.